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The annual CSAG Winter School marks an exciting time for CSAG staff, affiliates and colleagues. Personally, being involved in developing course content, facilitation, logistics, participating (to some extent) in the week long course and engaging with participants, the whole process was equally exciting, educational and informative. For myself and many others, this year was particularly exciting… Read more »

9-point summary: The Cape Town water crisis was the consequence of a severe 3-year drought affecting most of the winter-rainfall zone (WRZ) of South Africa and especially the Boland Mountain Catchment (BMC) that supplies water to Cape Town’s supply dams (see Piotr’s detailed analyses on drought severity and drivers) The Western Cape Province has 3… Read more »

Much has been argued about the causes of the 2017 Cape Town’s water crisis. Is it the drought? Is it climate change? Is it population growth? Is it lack of foresight by the national government or the local government? Is it the rich? Is it the poor? Is it farmers? Or industry? Or invasive trees?… Read more »

This is a blog about my experience coordinating, engaging with students and participating in activities for the EGS4038F Course Field Trip. The field trip took place over the weekend of the 12th and 13th of May 2018. Coordinating this event facilitated introductions to the students and provided me with the opportunity to work more closely… Read more »

Having fingers in all “pies” is becoming the life for most scientists,the need to understand information needs,emotions and society in general is fast growing in the quest to answer questions such as: Why is it so difficult to get through to people using scientific facts? Why do people go all out to defend what… Read more »

This is an article I wrote on invitation from Bulletin of Atomic Scientist (weird, I know, but physicists are very interested in changing climate, and from that – it is not a long road to our drought). I look here at the drought from the perspective of a couple of months. The story is written… Read more »

The Climate System Analysis Group (CSAG) based at the University of Cape Town will be running its annual course: Winter School: Using climate information for adaptation and policy development, from 2-6 July 2018. This 1 week intensive course has been developed specifically for participants from developing country and aims to take participants through the full spectrum… Read more »

The sooner we know the answer, the sooner we can prepare for summer 2019 By Peter Johnston and Piotr Wolski 15 March 2018 The approaching autumn and winter season in Cape Town is being keenly awaited to see if it will bring sufficient rain to end, or at least alleviate, the drought. If… Read more »